House OKs bill that would allow more paddling in Wyoming parks

WASHINGTON -- The House approved a wide-ranging public lands bill Thursday that would speed logging of trees burned in last year's massive Rim Fire in California.

The bill also would lift longstanding restrictions on canoes, rafts and other "hand-propelled" vessels in rivers and streams in Yellowstone and Grand Teton national parks. Rep. Cynthia Lummis, R-Wyo., said the measure would allow more paddling access so people can have "a truly unforgettable experience" when they visit the parks.

The park service opposes the proposed changes, saying that existing restrictions allow visitors to experience the solitude and wildness of the parks' pristine waterways without the "intrusion" of watercraft.

The measure also allows vehicular access to North Carolina's Cape Hatteras National Seashore, extends livestock grazing permits on federal land in the West and lifts longstanding restrictions on canoes, rafts and other "hand-propelled" watercraft in Yellowstone and Grand Teton national parks.

The House approved the bill, 220-194, on a largely party-line vote. It now goes to the Senate, where it is considered unlikely to pass. The White House opposes the bill but has not issued a veto threat.

The U.S. Forest Service is proposing an extensive salvage operation to log dead trees on about 46 square miles of timberland charred in the fire last August. If approved, logging in the Stanislaus National Forest could yield more lumber than the combined annual output of all the national forests in the state.

A measure sponsored by Rep. Tom McClintock, R-Calif., would waive federal environmental laws for the salvage operation. Timber sales would raise hundreds millions of dollars that could then be used to replant and restore devastated forests near Yosemite National Park, McClintock said.

"But time is already running out. Within a year, the value of the timber begins to decline rapidly as the wood is devoured by insects and rot," he said.

A bill co-sponsored by U.S. Rep. Cynthia Lummis, R-Wyo., would open more waterways in Yellowstone and Grand Teton parks to paddled watercraft. State of Wyoming

A bill co-sponsored by U.S. Rep. Cynthia Lummis, R-Wyo., would open more waterways in Yellowstone and Grand Teton parks to paddled watercraft. State of Wyoming